


distractions

by afrocurl



Series: distractions [1]
Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Canon, F/M, Rule 63, Secret Marriage, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-23
Updated: 2014-02-23
Packaged: 2018-01-13 12:59:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1227250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrocurl/pseuds/afrocurl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erika wanted to live in a world where her goals were simple: kill the man who destroyed her life. However, strong arms gripped her after a stronger voice told her to let go and everything that she had planned fell by the wayside.</p><p>First on the list of crumbled ideals: her staying unmarried. But Charles' eyes were warm and she felt...</p>
            </blockquote>





	distractions

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my marriage square of my trope-bingo round three card.

She missed her chance at Schmidt. She had him in her sights and then that damned diamond woman came in and ruined everything. Erika’s goals were simple: kill any and all people connected with the camps and her time there; kill the man who killed her mother.

She hadn’t been able to do either today, and even pulling the anchor and dismantling Schmidt’s boat wasn’t enough to save her mood.

Then.

Then there was a voice in her head. A voice in her head saying, “You are not alone,” and suddenly there were strong arms wrapping around her and telling her, “Let go.” She didn’t want to let go, but the voice was so strong and so compelling that eventually she followed its instructions and stopped fighting with the anchor and allowed those arms to haul her to the surface.

Out of the water, Erika saw that the arms belonged to a slight man, and she wanted to rage against him, but found herself charmed by his features instead. He had a pleasing smile, floppy dark hair and eyes that reminded her of her best dress from before everything went wrong.

 _You have your tricks, Erika, and I have mine. Charles Xavier, at your service._ Erika had no idea what else to do, so she followed Xavier as soon as a small boat came to rescue them both. 

She was far too stunned by the events to properly think through what had happened, or what would continue to happen. There were questions she wanted answered, but for now, she’d sit back and be taken in by the Coast Guard.

-

Being taken in by the Coast Guard meant that her identity had to be revealed. Or so she thought. No one said anything to her about why she was trying to kill Schmidt, and tentatively, she thought to ask Xavier about it. Moving quickly towards his room, she didn’t bother to knock before she walked into his room.

“Sit, please, Erika. We have much to discuss.”

-

No one had said anything to her because Xavier, as a telepath, had told all the Coast Guard and CIA agents that she was Charles’ fiancée, though they had been long separated. It was a shocking realization that Xavier could do that so easily, but she tried not to think on that too much, lest he overhear her. Even being in the same room as him, once she heard the news, it was a shock. Erika hadn't expected him to be so powerful and so _carefree_ with his powers.

“We’ll need to make it official before anyone else notices that you might be my fiancée for years. We can find a justice of the peace, and after that, everyone else will forget that they heard such a story; no one else will believe you married me. It will afford us an easy cover, though, should we have to act outside the CIA’s purview. You don’t want to stop looking for Schmidt, right? It won’t be easy alone.”

Not trusting her voice, she nodded and looked at the man who would be her husband. She had had no designs on marriage, but she could see the advantages in being tied, however much of a sham it might be, to someone with Xavier's power. It would provide a useful cover for whatever else might come.

-

A random woman at the courthouse in Miami served as the witness to their marriage. Not that it mattered much. Xavier - no, not just Xavier; Charles now, or perhaps dear - had not invited his sister Raven to attend, for which Erika was glad. Nor did she mind that the required waiting period was not applied to what she and Charles were doing. She had no desire to be known as someone who would follow the orders of her husband, even if the marriage was half a practicality and half a necessity, but she strode into the courtroom just a step behind him, and then waited at his side. Though she doubted the necessity the more she thought about it; he could have easily made everyone at the Coast Guard and the CIA forget her very existence.

Even Charles’ small ring for her was gone as soon as they arrived back at the hotel, tucked away in one of the many pockets hidden in the seams of her nicest dress. Charles had said nothing about why he and Erika had been gone for a few hours to either Raven or Moira. Another small mercy.

 _If you’d join me tonight, I’d look forward to it,_ Charles had mentally said to her as they milled around the series of rooms for everyone from the CIA just after their return. They were leaving for Virginia in the morning, and were to find out more about what they could do about finding Schmidt. But until then, there was her wedding night to survive. If only a private meal would help to allay her fears.

-

With a small flick of her power, she opened the door to Charles’ room and quietly walked in. She was nervous, though she was sure that she shouldn’t be. If Charles was serious about this being a practical thing so that no one would ask questions of a German woman in the US then there was no need for them to consummate the marriage. But as she looked into the room, that idea vanished: Charles had found time to purchase roses and a bottle of champagne.

“Dear, you look lovely. Do come closer?” he asked. Erika wanted to say no and to flee, but yet again, she found herself looking into Charles’ eyes and forgetting all of her instincts.

It was a slow walk towards him, and as she inched closer and closer, Charles’ expression changed: it went from a thin tight-lipped smile to one which showed off the brightness of his lips and his teeth. “There’s no need to be nervous,” Charles said, and then Erika wondered if he’d been reading her thoughts. “You were loud, is all, dearest. I don’t like to read people without their consent. I would hope, though, as my wife, you’ll allow me the full use of my powers.”

She thought for a long moment before she said, “If I am allowed the same, I don’t see why I should say no.”

“Of course you can use your powers. They’re positively amazing.”

The compliment brought a small smile to Erika’s face and so she decided to follow Charles’ permission to use her powers with a small demonstration: she undid the zipper of her simple black dress and let it fall to the floor before she did the same with the hooks of her brassiere and the clasps of her garter belt.

“Stunning,” was all Charles said before he got off the bed and came to meet Erika. “May I kiss you?” he asked, and Erika wanted to say ‘take what you want for I am yours’, but thought better of it.

“Dear, we’re equals, no matter what you think. Now, may I?” His hands were waiting for her approval before they explored her small frame. She knew she was nothing special - too thin in the waist and hips, breasts not nearly as full as most women’s - and so she was surprised by how much Charles appreciated her. His eyes gave away so much of what he wanted to do, and she couldn’t find the same heat in her gaze of him; she found him somewhat attractive, but nothing as awe-inspiring as she saw herself reflected in Charles’ eyes.

“Yes,” she said and as the S hung in the air, she hissed as Charles’ hands started to cup and feel around her breasts and hips.

“You’re amazing; don’t think otherwise, dear,” Charles answered before he cautiously brought his mouth to hers and kissed her. It was unlike the perfunctory kiss they shared in the courthouse, passion leaking through his lips as he tried to coax her mouth to open against his. She complied and lost herself in the sensation of being wanted, of being cherished and of being loved.

-

Early morning light dripped into the room through a crack in the hotel’s drapes, waking Erika up when she longed to stay asleep. The light, though, revealed that she hadn’t gone back to her room after Charles had taken her in a way that left her still wanting more. Her mind longed for what he had done again and again; he had used every facet of his power to make their lovemaking perfect, as perfect as she had once thought her parents' love to be.

“I should go,” she whispered, slowing rising off the bed and finding her discarded clothes. “We have to leave soon.”

She left without another word and went back to her room to put herself together and to pack the remaining items in her satchel.

-

To her shock, Charles kept his word and said nothing to anyone about their marriage. She found that she still stayed at his side - though she trusted him more than she trusted MacTaggart or anyone else from the CIA - and Raven only gave them a quick look before she dismissed them both.

The base was as she imagined - utilitarian and simple - and while Charles whisked her off on a short tour, she heard him say, _You’re welcome to have your own room, but I won’t say no if you come to visit in the evenings._

It was simple and yet not. But that seemed to be what her life had become with Charles Xavier at her side.

-

Cerebro frightened her. There was no doubt in her mind that it was a machine designed to kill Charles, no matter what he said to the contrary. But however much she hated the machine, it was still going to be responsible for her and Charles leaving to search for other mutants. If Schmidt - now Shaw - had friends, she could use some more.

-

The grand recruitment tour brought her and Charles closer together. Without hundreds of eyes watching their every move, she relaxed around him, finding it easier to share a room with him - to even share a bed with him - and she found that she was growing to like - perhaps love - him in a way that she never imagined.

Her life until now had been a series of missions for one goal, and even if this was still part of her mission, it was drawn out to the point where she had to look around and take in what was surrounding her.

However, she still had moments of doubt just before she and Charles were to approach any recruit. She was no longer just an intimidating woman on a hunt, but the less than ideal wife of a man who could speak to someone’s mind. Angel, the stripper, seemed nervous around a couple walking into a strip club before she no longer cared about what had brought Charles and Erika into her orbit.

Charles attempted to minimize Erika’s doubts each night, but she found only a small amount of solace in his work. He did better at making her forget everything that clouded her mind with careful caresses and sex that turned her entire body liquid.

-

Determination returned as soon as she and Charles returned from their extended trip. She had almost thought of it as a honeymoon, with stops along the way to find mutants to help their cause, but that idea vanished as soon as the hard reality of Schmidt - Shaw - set back in. He and his crew were still out there, cooperating with the Russians and causing the CIA more trouble.

That trouble became more apparent when she, Charles and Moira all went to Russia to see what Shaw was doing with a high-ranking Russian general. Never one to be bound by rules, she rushed into the compound to find out Shaw’s exact motives, even if he wasn’t there.

To her shock, Shaw’s plans were far worse than she feared. Charles was of the same mind, but the words of Shaw’s associate Frost stilled her heart - there was something worse waiting for them back in Virginia. 

-

Darwin was _gone_ and Angel had switched sides while she and Charles were off trying to sort out the exact nature of Shaw’s reach. It stung that she wasn’t there to help protect some of her own from the man who had so changed her life, and no matter what Charles did, she found little comfort. 

She shied away from his mental suggestions as she assessed what had gone wrong and how they should proceed.

It was time that she stop thinking of what her husband could do for her, and start thinking about what she could do to stop Shaw from destroying more lives.

-

Charles had had a wonderful idea to move most of the operation to his derelict mansion in the environs of New York. It shocked her to how well-off Charles actually was, but she pushed those feelings aside to help train those that remained with them for their fight against Shaw.

For there was a fight on the horizon, no questions asked.

But that fight was in a nebulous future, and here in the present, there was Charles - the man who held her heart in his - and his house.

-

Ostensibly, she had her own room, though at this point, everyone left knew that she and Charles had grown close while recruiting most of their team. No one still knew that they were husband and wife, and she preferred it that way, even if she had grown use to sleeping at Charles’ side every night.

She was sure that it made her soft - to want to be around a man as she did - and there was no room for that when Shaw was planning to destroy the world with nuclear weapons.

One night not long into their stay, she asked, “Should we be doing this?”

Charles looked at her in his way that said she needed to clarify because he had no desire to root through her brain for the idea. 

“I mean, should we be giving in to carnal pleasure when there’s so much work to be done?”

Charles hummed and replied, “If this is just about the end of our lives, then I'd rather spend it with the woman I love, knowing that we tried our best.”

“But,” she started, “but what if our best isn't good enough? Shaw ruined my life - most of my life - and he has to pay.”

“He will, but only if you think of all the world has brought you that isn’t his pain and his torment. He brought us together, did he not?”

She kissed him for a reply, slow and steady, but no less passionate than they had been before. She still doubted how she could achieve her goals against Shaw and keep her love for Charles.

“Dear, we’ll conquer both together. Always together,” Charles said before he settled himself to take full advantage of their time together.

-

Erika tried not to examine what was said between Charles and herself in bed, though as each day in his home passed, it was harder and harder for her.

She believed that they were stronger together than she had ever been on her own, but she also knew - and never shared - how much pain and damage Shaw had done to her as a small child.

Her own training and practice had been neglected as she helped Charles to work with everyone else, and as she looked out at the large satellite dish on the far end of Charles’ property, her control wavered.

“What happened to the woman who moved an anchor?” Charles asked.

“That was rage - pure and simple - that helped me. I don’t have it now,” she said, slumping in frustration.

“Did I ever tell you that I think the truest use of our powers comes when we find the point between rage and serenity?”

She shook her head, and looked at Charles in slight confusion. “I’ve done well on rage before.”

“But there are higher stakes now, dearest, and even you must prepare. May I?” he asked and then made his tell-tale sign that he wanted to use his powers.

“Go ahead,” was all she could say before she felt Charles’ presence slowly working through her memories. There were the ones that she had longed to hide from Charles - the hardest of Shaw’s sessions - but he also found the few bright spots: their wedding night was there, but even more was the day that her mother allowed her to help light Shabbos candles. Charles stayed on that memory for as long as he could before he intermixed the pride and love Erika felt that day with the adoration and love that Charles felt after their marriage - days after they met.

“That was beautiful,” Charles said at last. “Now, try to move the satellite again, only this time think of all of those memories.” His voice was low, but sure, and as she flexed her fingers to extend her power that far, the dish moved easily under her command.

When the dish was pointing towards the mansion, Charles pushed into her space and kissed her, slow but sweet. It felt a lightning strike, her mind still feeling all the good in her life that she found in Charles and that Charles found in her past. Erika responded in kind, and wished that everything else could melt away and leave her in this moment.

“The President’s about to speak,” rang in the air, and Erika pushed away to see Moira staring at the two of them on the portico.

_She thinks we were sharing a moment, nothing more. You’re still safe, dear._

If only Erika could believe that. No one had proof of their relationship until now.

-

There was no time to think about what Moira had seen because soon the house was wound up in the final preparations for confronting Shaw and his ilk. They were to go to Cuba in the morning, and so there was no time for Moira to be concerned.

There was only time to gather the pain and rage of her youth - and Charles’ hope in their future - into herself.

-

For the first time since their marriage, Erika put her wedding ring on and settled into her morning routine. It was the simplest way to start, focusing on what she knew, and soon, she and the rest of the team were wearing the suits that Hank had designed. She tried to hold Charles’ hand briefly, but as her fingers were ready to fit themselves into Charles’ grip, Hank arrived, transformed.

From there, everything else was a blur until they were flying over Cuba and she was called upon to lift Shaw’s submarine from the water. She felt Charles’ presence in her mind, bringing to the forefront of her mind all of the good and of the bad from her life.

The submarine was easy to move, then, but as soon as it was marooned on the beach there was a gust of wind from a member of Shaw’s team and all she could do was watch as Charles rocked back and forth. Instincts took over and she pulled herself to Charles, using her power to keep them safe and oriented towards the ship.

After the plane fell, Erika stayed close to Charles, waiting for another note that it was safe to release her power.

“It’s safe,” she heard someone say before she moved to allow Charles time to get up. She gripped Charles’ hand in hers after, not wanting to watch him come to any more harm.

“We’ll be fine, loving wife. Nothing to worry about.” Charles’ voice was loud and clear, but Erika couldn’t think more about what he had called her, because they were facing an enemy within feet of their ship.

Charles barked out orders on how to proceed and she lingered, stealing a kiss in front of everyone before she ran into Shaw’s boat to find him.

_I’ll be with you the entire way._

-

Charles’ directions were good only to a certain point and when Erika found nothing in the heart of the ship.

“There’s nothing here!” she yelled before she thought to do anything else.

_There’s something just ahead. Break through and he’ll be there. I know it._

She followed his instructions as best she could, finding a walled room of mirrors, Shaw standing in the center with a metal helmet on his head.

“Little Erika Lehnsherr. We meet again,” he said before the door closed and everything Erika had been sharing with Charles vanished.

-

Carefully deconstructing the metal in the walls around the room was easy once Shaw started going on about his plans and how Erika should join him. She might have thought of it before meeting Charles, but in her husband, she knew there was more to her life than pain alone. 

“You’ve made me what you are,” she said, slashing beams into the mirrors, “but I will never join you. There’s more to the world than what you’re saying, and you won’t win.”

“Won’t I? How is your telepath going to stop me?”

“Like this,” she said as the wires finally caught the helmet and pulled it off his head. “Now, Charles!”

 _I can’t hold him long, so do what you need to do. But come back to me,_ he said.

“I’m going to count to three and when I do, this coin will move.”

Watching as the mark floated into Shaw’s skull was only satisfying as long as he knew that Charles was safe.

-

Shaw was dead, and exhaustion took over. With only adrenaline left to keep her going, she made it back to Charles and the plane. He looked as pale and gaunt as she felt.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“Felt him die,” was all she caught in Charles’ stilted voice.

“It’s over. We’ve won,” she said before pressing into his space and kissing him. It was unlike most of their other kisses, this one filled with all the energy she had left after so many years. But she didn’t care, because she had finished her mission.

 _We’re being watched,_ Charles sent, and Erika didn’t have the heart to care.

“I don’t care what they see, husband, we’ve done it together.”

The words were out before she could regret them, and after so long, the secret had lost its appeal.

She was sure that there were faces of her team shocked at the revelation, but she found that it didn’t matter. 

Charles’ face was inches from her and that was what really matter now. They had a life to lead - together - without fear of Shaw.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to **ninemoons42** for the beta. Title comes from the song of that title by Zero 7.


End file.
